Analysts Set Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) Target Price at $307.22

Shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $307.2222.

LECO has been the topic of several research reports. DA Davidson started coverage on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $320.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Lincoln Electric from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $257.00 to $283.00 in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Lincoln Electric from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research report on Monday, August 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $340.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th.

Lincoln Electric Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LECO opened at $281.82 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.98 and a quick ratio of 1.20. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $266.06 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $265.97. Lincoln Electric has a one year low of $216.22 and a one year high of $310.00. The firm has a market cap of $15.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.20.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.81 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $1.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.17 billion. Lincoln Electric had a return on equity of 39.23% and a net margin of 12.35%.The company’s revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.60 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Lincoln Electric will post 11.13 EPS for the current year.

Lincoln Electric Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.79 per share. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 30th. Lincoln Electric’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.57%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lincoln Electric news, EVP Michael J. Whitehead sold 845 shares of Lincoln Electric stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.81, for a total value of $232,214.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 9,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,560,954.39. The trade was a 8.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its stake in Lincoln Electric by 8.6% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,477 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $468,000 after buying an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 553.4% in the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,137 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $215,000 after buying an additional 963 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 8.9% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 362,561 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $68,582,000 after buying an additional 29,505 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 8.7% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 137,540 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,017,000 after buying an additional 10,961 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 980.8% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 281 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 255 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.61% of the company’s stock.

About Lincoln Electric

Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc (NASDAQ: LECO) is a global manufacturer and distributor of welding products, robotic welding systems, plasma and oxyfuel cutting equipment, and surface treatment systems. The company’s portfolio encompasses welding consumables such as electrodes and wires, as well as power sources, torches, and automated welding cells. Lincoln Electric also offers software solutions and training services designed to optimize productivity and quality in fabrication and manufacturing operations.

Founded in 1895 by John C.